NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains no direct benchmark scores for either GPU, and the head-to-head benchmark list is empty. With zero wins recorded for each side, there are no numerical performance comparisons to walk through in this section. The absence of benchmark results means the database does not currently support a measured performance comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM. Both parts share an identical percentile rating of 50 against all GPUs, which places them at the midpoint of the database distribution, but this percentile is not derived from any actual test scores. The average benchmark score for both entries is zero, confirming that neither has been subjected to standardized testing in the database. Consequently, any statement about which part is faster in a specific workload cannot be grounded in measured data. The only quantitative signals available are the raw specifications, which describe theoretical capabilities rather than real-world outcomes. For example, the FP32 throughput of the N1X 40SM is 24.02 TFLOPS, while the RTX 4070 Max-Q delivers 11.34 TFLOPS, but this is a specification difference, not a benchmark result. Similarly, the texture rate of the N1X 40SM is 750.7 GTexel/s against 177.1 GTexel/s for the RTX 4070 Max-Q, again a spec-level contrast. The database records no frame rates, no synthetic scores, and no thermal or power measurements for either product. Therefore, this section must conclude that head-to-head benchmark data is unavailable, and the analysis must rely on architectural and specification differences to draw any conclusions.

Where Each One Wins

Without benchmark data, the "wins" for each GPU must be inferred from their specification profiles. The RTX 4070 Max-Q shows strengths in areas tied to its Ada Lovelace architecture and mobile design. Its 35 W TDP indicates a low-power implementation, which suits thin-and-light notebooks where thermal budgets are tight. The RTX 4070 Max-Q also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, meaning it can run modern graphics APIs and feature sets. Its memory configuration of 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus delivers 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p gaming at high settings in many titles. The N1X 40SM, on the other hand, appears designed for entirely different workloads. Its 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is only slightly higher than the RTX 4070 Max-Q despite having 16 times the capacity. This suggests the N1X 40SM targets memory-intensive applications such as large language model inference, data processing, or other compute tasks where capacity matters more than raw bandwidth. The N1X 40SM also has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 40 RT cores, all of which exceed the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 36 RT cores. Its FP32 throughput of 24.02 TFLOPS is more than double the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS, indicating a substantial advantage in general-purpose compute. The N1X 40SM also has a higher boost clock of 2346 MHz versus 1230 MHz, which contributes to its higher theoretical performance. However, the N1X 40SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support as "N/A", meaning it may not be intended for traditional graphics workloads at all. The RTX 4070 Max-Q, by contrast, is a fully featured graphics part with a complete API stack. The data, therefore, suggests the RTX 4070 Max-Q wins in compatibility and power efficiency for gaming and standard graphics tasks, while the N1X 40SM wins in raw compute throughput and memory capacity for specialized workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations and architectures. The RTX 4070 Max-Q uses the AD106 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The N1X 40SM uses the GB20B chip built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. Both are IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factors with no power connectors, but their internal designs diverge significantly. The RTX 4070 Max-Q has 22,900 million transistors on a die size of 188 mm², yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The N1X 40SM has an unknown transistor count but a larger die size of 382 mm², which is more than double the area of the AD106. The N1X 40SM's transistor density is not recorded. The RTX 4070 Max-Q features 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the N1X 40SM has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The N1X 40SM has more shading units and significantly more TMUs, but fewer ROPs. The RTX 4070 Max-Q includes 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores, while the N1X 40SM has 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. Both parts support FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, meaning their half-precision throughput matches their single-precision throughput. The memory subsystems differ: the RTX 4070 Max-Q uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the N1X 40SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory clock speeds also differ, with the RTX 4070 Max-Q running at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) and the N1X 40SM at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective), though the wider bus compensates on the N1X 40SM. The bus interface also separates them: the RTX 4070 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the N1X 40SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Power characteristics show the RTX 4070 Max-Q has a TDP of 35 W, while the N1X 40SM's TDP is unknown. The RTX 4070 Max-Q has display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent", while the N1X 40SM has a single HDMI output. The API support is another major differentiator: the RTX 4070 Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1X 40SM lists all three as "N/A". The release dates also differ, with the RTX 4070 Max-Q released on 2023-01-02 and the N1X 40SM on 2026-05-31.

The Verdict

The data indicates that these two GPUs serve fundamentally different purposes, despite sharing the NVIDIA brand and the IGP form factor. The RTX 4070 Max-Q is a mobile graphics solution with full API support, a 35 W TDP, and a complete feature set for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 8 GB memory capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are typical for a laptop GPU aimed at gaming and general graphics use. The N1X 40SM, with its 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory and 5120 shading units, appears oriented toward compute-heavy tasks that require large memory pools. Its lack of DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support strongly suggests it is not designed for conventional gaming or graphics rendering. The FP32 throughput of 24.02 TFLOPS on the N1X 40SM is more than double the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS, so for compute workloads that can use its architecture, the N1X 40SM has a significant theoretical advantage. The RTX 4070 Max-Q, however, is the only one of the two with a defined power envelope, and its 35 W TDP makes it suitable for battery-powered devices. The N1X 40SM's TDP is unknown, so its power requirements cannot be assessed from the data. The RTX 4070 Max-Q also has a clear release date and a known predecessor and successor in the GeForce 30 Mobile and GeForce 50 Mobile, while the N1X 40SM has no recorded predecessor or successor. The verdict from the data is straightforward: the RTX 4070 Max-Q is for users who need a compatible, power-efficient mobile GPU with standard graphics API support, while the N1X 40SM is for users who need massive memory capacity and high compute throughput in an integrated package, and who do not require DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan functionality.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 4070 Max-Q has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, which is more than double the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: No. The RTX 4070 Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the N1X 40SM lists DirectX support as "N/A".

Q: What are the TDP values for these GPUs?

A: The RTX 4070 Max-Q has a TDP of 35 W, while the N1X 40SM's TDP is listed as "unknown".

Q: How do the bus interfaces compare?

A: The RTX 4070 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the N1X 40SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The N1X 40SM has 5120 shading units, compared to 4608 on the RTX 4070 Max-Q.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q | NVIDIA N1X 40SM |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Chip | AD106 | GB20B |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 22,900 million | unknown |

| Die Size | 188 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1230 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4608 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 144 | 320 |

| ROPs | 48 | 40 |

| RT Cores | 36 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | 144 | 160 |

| Pixel Rate | 59.04 GPixel/s | 93.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 177.1 GTexel/s | 750.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 11.34 TFLOPS | 24.02 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 11.34 TFLOPS (1:1) | 24.02 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 35 W | unknown |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2026-05-31 |